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Christopher Closeup

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Select a Month March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012

January 2017

January 10, 2017

R.I.P. Officer Steven McDonald: ‘God Has Asked Me to Be a Witness to Do His Will in This World’

(Photo: Police Officer Steven McDonald with the Christopher Award-winning founder of Mychal's Message, Shannon Hickey)...

December 2016

December 12, 2016

Andre Rieu Highlights Waltzing in Wheelcairs

While eating lunch on Saturday, I stumbled upon Andre Rieu's latest PBS special, entitled "Waltzing...

November 2016

November 22, 2016

How An ESPN Producer Asked God to Use Her and Ended Up with an Unlikely Family

"Take care of my son." When six-time Emmy Award-winning ESPN producer Lisa Fenn sensed the...

November 01, 2016

Pint-Sized Prophets Who Teach Us We Are All Born to Be Healers

Dr. Chuck Dietzen grew up wanting to be St. Francis of Assisi. In a way,...

October 2016

October 05, 2016

Educational TV, Beer Commercials, and ‘The Gospel According to Sesame Street’

Everybody's heard of the TV series "Sesame Street," but what you may not know is...

October 04, 2016

One Mother is Changing the Media’s – and the World’s – Perception of Those with Disabilities

(Photo property of Katie Driscoll) As the mom of six children, including a daughter with...

September 2016

September 08, 2016

Author Explores Adoption, Autism, & Win-At-All-Costs Culture in Novel for Young People

It was just a few weeks ago when the world marveled at the sportsmanship of...

May 2016

May 20, 2016

Pictures Galore from the 2016 Christopher Awards, Where Stories of Heart and Courage Dominated

After months of preparation, the 67th annual Christopher Awards took place in New York City...

May 12, 2016

How Sports Can Help You Win at Life

(The following is the text of the Christopher News Note “How Sports Can Help You...

April 2016

April 19, 2016

Love Doesn’t Die: A Mother Remembers Her Daughter with Down Syndrome

“Love doesn’t die.” That’s a quote from a letter we received at Christopher headquarters recently...

December 2015

December 11, 2015

A Disabled Child Finds Joy & Encouragement Around Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

(All photos property of The International Academy of Hope) I've written about The International Academy...

August 2015

August 04, 2015

A Vision of Heaven in Central Harlem: iHope Finds Beauty Amid Brokenness

You might expect a school for children who've suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBI) to be...

May 2015

May 14, 2015

The 2015 Christopher Awards: Pictures Galore of a Hootin’ and Heartfelt Good Time

(Photos courtesy Paul Schneck) Every year I look forward to the Christopher Awards because I...

April 2015

April 21, 2015

“NY Med” TV Series & iHope School Founder Patrick Donohue to Receive Special Christopher Awards

NEW YORK, April 21, 2015 — At the 66th annual Christopher Awards ceremony here on...

April 15, 2015

Kids with Special Needs Want to Be of Service and Take Part in the Life of the Church

"Parents of children with special needs need to realize that even though they didn’t expect...

April 08, 2015

The 2015 Christopher Award Winners in Film, TV, and Books Are…

NEW YORK, April 8, 2015 — An Olympic gold medalist, the actor best known as...

February 2015

February 25, 2015

Saving Society’s “Disposable” Kids: Filmmaker Brian Ivie Discusses “The Drop Box”

(All photos property of The Drop Box Film/Focus on the Family) On June 20, 2011,...

February 06, 2015

Man Forced to Choose Between His Wife and His Newborn Baby with Down Syndrome

From ABC News: When Samuel Forrest of Armenia heard a baby crying from outside his...

January 2015

January 28, 2015

“In People with Intellectual Disabilities, I Found a School of the Heart”

Throughout history, people with intellectual disabilities like Down Syndrome have often been shunned by society...

December 2014

December 12, 2014

Finding Joy Working with Disabled Children

A few months ago, I posted an interview I did with Patrick Donohue, whose daughter...

September 2014

September 18, 2014

Deal with Troubles, But Don’t Lose Track of the World’s Beauty: An Interview with Dean Koontz

"The dark makes the light stuff brighter." Not only is that a comment made by...

July 2014

July 23, 2014

A Little Girl’s Brain Injury Set Her Dad on a Quest for Treatment and Healing

When Sarah Jane Donohue came into the world on June 5, 2005, she was a...

June 2014

June 13, 2014

‘Every Day is a Good Day to Remember Sam and What He Stood For’

One of this year's Christopher Awards went to the documentary "Life According to Sam." It...

June 04, 2014

Down Syndrome, Racial Harmony, & Hearing Impairment Themes in High School Poster Contest Winners

Today we're highlighting the top three winners in The Christophers' 24th Annual Poster Contest for...

March 2014

March 20, 2014

Redemption Tale: A Murderer, a Dog and an Autistic Child

Since 1998, Chris Vogt has been serving a 48 year prison sentence in Colorado's Sterling...

March 10, 2014

Harlem Globetrotters Add Teen with Down Syndrome to Roster

Eighteen-year-old Kevin Grow from Bensalem, Pennsylvania, became an Internet phenomenon when video of him scoring...

January 2014

January 30, 2014

Two Hearing-Impaired Girls Get Surprise Visit from Deaf NFL Star

Derrick Coleman, the NFL's first deaf player, has received a lot of attention lately because...

January 16, 2014

Meet the Businessman Who Showed Kindness to Autistic Girl on Plane

A blog post by Shanell Mouland titled "Dear Daddy in Seat 16C" went viral recently....

December 2013

December 12, 2013

A Grace of Softness in a Hard World: Reviewing Dean Koontz’s Novel “Innocence”

A few weeks ago, Pope Francis made news for spontaneously embracing a severely disfigured man...

November 2013

November 13, 2013

Jennifer Lawrence Cuts Through Security Barrier to Talk with Girl in Wheelchair

Among the most popular posts I've written in my nearly two years of blogging here...

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